Good or Bad Idea? Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Batman in ‘Justice League’

Back in the summer, rumors began swirling around DC Comics and Warner Brothers bringing The Justice League to the big screen. And, with an announced 2015 release, more rumors have begun making the rounds.

During a recent interview with the New York Post, Man of Steel director Zack Snyder hinted at the possibility of a connection between his upcoming Superman film and the Justice League.

I don’t know how ‘Justice League’ is going to be handled. Honestly, I don’t… But ‘The Man of Steel’ exists, and Superman is in it. I don’t know how you’d move forward without acknowledging that.”

Naturally, this lead to Snyder getting pressed for more information, which resulted in the following response:

Um, how can I answer that?… I can’t really say anything to that, because that’s a big spoiler. I will say, yeah, they trust me to keep them on course.”

Add those statements with the most recent rumor and things are starting to fall into place.

From HitFix, sources have stated that “Joseph Gordon-Levitt absolutely will be appearing in “Justice League” as the new Batman.” Of course, this makes all too much sense. Levitt’s character John Blake has most likely taken over the cape and cowl from Bruce Wayne in The Dark Knight Rises, and, this would make for a great connection to the Nolan films.

The article from HitFix also states that:

The more insistent the drumbeat has become, the more poking around I’ve been doing, and it’s looking like we may see Gordon-Levitt in the suit earlier than that. They’re a long way from filming anything “Justice League” related, but they appear to be solidifying deals for Gordon-Levitt and, potentially, at least one other actor from the Nolan films to do… something.”

Most fans are speculating that if Levitt becomes the new Batman that he will pop up on June 14, 2013 when the Man of Steel hits theaters. Add in the previous comments from Snyder, and, you can understand why this is probably a major spoiler alert.

However, does this change how we feel about the Justice League movie? Absolutely not. Back in August we listed 6 Reasons Why a Justice League Movie Will Fail, and we still feel that way. Why? Because having John Blake replace Bruce Wayne in the Justice League movie is an epic fail. It’s like not having any gravy with your turkey on Thanksgiving.

This isn’t a knock at Joseph Gordon-Levitt, he’s a great actor, it’s just that Bruce Wayne belongs in the Justice League. In the comics, Bruce Wayne puts the team together in the first place. How will fans react if a rookie cop that just became Batman goes on to assemble the greatest heroes from DC? Probably not too kindly. Also, there’s always been an interesting dynamic between Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent. They’re both orphans. They fight on the same side. But, have had different philosophies on how to fight the good fight. There’s a ton of great subplots between the two men that would make the film that much more entertaining.

Of course, they could have Christian Bale make a cameo as Bruce Wayne, but that’s highly unlikely. Christopher Nolan and Bale have moved on, so to tie into those films screams desperation from Warner Bros. Besides, Nolan always insisted that his Batman trilogy was it’s own universe. Adding a character, or two, from Nolan’s films into other DC franchises contradicts everything Nolan had said. And, let’s not forget that Nolan’s “realistic” world of Batman doesn’t exactly fit with the Justice League. How can you make Superman, Martian Manhunter, The Flash or Wonder Woman realistic? You just can’t. If DC and Warner Bros. are that desperate to include Nolan and his films then they’re already in trouble.

It’s completely understandable why Warner Bros. would want Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the Justice League. It brings credibility and continuity, but in the end, it’s just a bad move. And, if they allow John Blake to enter the Justice League what about Ryan Reynolds’ Hal Jordan? Will his version of the Green Lantern also be included or will he be left out?

I guess we’ll find out when Man of Steel flies into theaters on June 14, 2013.